Irish stick fighting

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Local news has a story : https://www.news10.com/news/local-news/irish-stick-fighting-couple-strikes-shillelaghs-in-the-capital-region/

A local TV correspondant took their course. Said it was great. Just FYI on St. Pats weekend.

[JimCunn]

saill éalaigh, a blackthorn cudgel

Anybody remember the song 'Two Shillelagh O'Sullivan' ? (I didn't say it was a great song)

There's many a man that rode a horse across the western
Plain There's never been one like the Irishman
O'Sullivan was his name.
He never packed a shooting iron
The need he never felt
With two shillelaghs always hanging there
A'hanging on his belt.
O yippee ki yi oh, me bucko
B'gorrah an yippee ki yo
Two Shillelagh O'Sullivan
He'd give any man a go.
(Har the shillelagh.
You know we call it the Tipperary rifle.
You never have to reload it.)
This bronco-busting Irishman
From the heart of Erin's Isle it was after living peaceful, like
He always wore a smile.
But when the smile was leaving him
In a fight he'd
Come unwound Bad cess for any crossing him
They'd wind up on the ground.
O yippee ki yi oh, me bucko
B'gorrah an yippee ki yo
Two Shillelagh O'Sullivan
He'd give any man a go.
(Why he was so strong was Sullivan,
He could put his right hand in his own left pocket,
And hold himself out at arm's
Length. No man could do that.
It's O'Sullivan I'm talking
About. Oh, well he could.)
At throwing the rope for branding calf
He was a mighty man
At throwing his two shillelaghs now
The fastest in the land.
T'would be a sad mistake me boys
To reach for a 44
Before you could get the hammer cocked
He'd have you on
The floor.
O yippee ki yi oh, me bucko
B'gorrah an yippee ki yo
Two Shillelagh O'Sullivan
He'd give any man a go.
(Did you know O'Sullivan played the Irish Harp?
No. Oh, sure, and he did.
He put 75 strings on his two shillelaghs,
He'd stretch them out 24 feet, and he had four leprechauns
Dancing on them to make the music.
Oh, the wonder of it. Sure and he would charm the coyotes out of the hills)
Across the range from morn 'til night
He rode for days
And days
A'fixin' fences here and there
And a picking
Up the strays.
A cattle spread he really built
As big as Ireland
Where he could range a million head
And a
Shamrock be his brand.
O yippee ki yi oh, me bucko
B'gorrah an yippee ki yo
Two Shillelagh O'Sullivan
He'd give any man a go.
A bit of his lip, he back of his hand,
And the toe of his shoe to boot.
Oh, Two Shillelagh O'Sullivan.
(Now if you're ever riding through the sagebrush wilderness,
And you suddenly come upon acres and acres of shamrock sprinkled with stardust,
Well, you'll be after knowing,
That you've just arrived at the O Sullivan spread,
Known as the Lazy Leprachauns.
Stop in, won't you?
Sure, and they'll give you a belt of Bushmill's.)

[awp_101]

saill éalaigh, a blackthorn cudgel

Anybody remember the song 'Two Shillelagh O'Sullivan' ? (I didn't say it was a great song)

No, it's certainly not Bing's finest work but I suppose it's not his worst.


https://youtu.be/a1H0QNf-pt8

[TDA]

When I was quite small, my mother took a trip to Ireland to visit the cousins, and brought me back a souvenir shillelagh.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“We hit each other over the head with them” she replied.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because it feels so good when you stop.”

[UpDok]

Blackthorn shillelaghs look pretty cool. Seems like a good choice especially in an oppressive state full of restrictions and gun-free zones. You would need to be a seriously pointy-headed tyrant to deprive a citizen of their wooden walking stick.

I did a little internet research and there's a big difference between the cheap knock-off shillelaghs sold for the tourists, and the seriously authentic shillelaghs made by craftsmen in Ireland from "real McCoy" materials, tools, time & knowhow.

Thanks to the OP for the thread!

[UncleGabby]

I ran an EMS call late one night to a young man who had a deep gash in the palm of his hand. His uncle made walking sticks, and apparently they were drinking and got to wrestling over one of the sticks. The uncle had the wide end at the top of the stick and nephew had the tapered end so he lost. There was a single nub where a branch had grown on the side of the stick they showed me that was about half the size of a pencil eraser that slipped through the young man’s hand ripping it open in the process.

Whenever I see a blackthorne walking I think about that young man’s hand and how effective a blackthorne could be.

[Borderland]

Fookin Irish ;)

[UpDok]

Fookin Irish ;)

If you find an Irish-sourced blackthorn shillelagh to be unacceptable, you can get one from a British maker or even just settle for a Cold Steel brand shillelagh molded from genuine polypropylene.

Gives a new meaning to the term; "plastic Paddy"

[Borderland]

If you find an Irish-sourced blackthorn shillelagh to be unacceptable, you can get one from a British maker or even just settle for a Cold Steel brand shillelagh molded from genuine polypropylene.

Gives a new meaning to the term; "plastic Paddy"

I have a blackthorn growing on our property. I'm going to make a staff or cane out of a branch. Not that I want to be a combatant but it seems appropriate given my Irish heritage.

This is what I'm trying to duplicate. We'll see how it turns out.

https://www.walking-canes.net/products/blackknobtaller

[UpDok]

I have a blackthorn growing on our property. I'm going to make a staff or cane out of a branch. Not that I want to be a combatant but it seems appropriate given my Irish heritage.

This is what I'm trying to duplicate. We'll see how it turns out.

https://www.walking-canes.net/products/blackknobtaller

I really can't tell from the photo of the knob-stick on that website but it almost looks like the knob is glued on the the shaft.

There is a shillelagh maker from Co. Kerry, Ireland named Francis McCaffery who has close to 800 videos & shorts on YouTube describing just about all facets of stick making and history of shillelagh-type walking sticks and weapons. He seems like a busy guy who loves his work and keeps a camera handy.

[leekellerking]

Blackthorn shillelaghs look pretty cool. Seems like a good choice especially in an oppressive state full of restrictions and gun-free zones. You would need to be a seriously pointy-headed tyrant to deprive a citizen of their wooden walking stick.

I did a little internet research and there's a big difference between the cheap knock-off shillelaghs sold for the tourists, and the seriously authentic shillelaghs made by craftsmen in Ireland from "real McCoy" materials, tools, time & knowhow.

Thanks to the OP for the thread!

On a related point, you should check out the difference in price between a walking stick and a FIGHTING walking stick. :-)


https://canemasters.com/collections/personal-protection

[JTQ]

The thread title caused me to immediately think of "Knute Rockne All-American" where Pat O'Brien as Knute Rockne has the following exchange

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032676/characters/nm0002285

Committee Member : Mr. Rockne, couldn't football be replaced by some other game? Something less violent?
Knute Rockne : Well, what game would you suggest?
Committee Member : Well, hockey, for instance.
[This answer is greeted by raucous laughter in the committee room]
Knute Rockne : Why, as a matter of fact, I suggested that very idea to Father Callahan, our president. He was downright interested until we came to the use of sticks, and then he threw up his hands. He said, "No... , that game is not for our university. Notre Dame will never endorse any game that puts a club in the hands of an Irishman."

[BN]

Another rabbit hole to go down. :)

[Crusader]

Totally inappropriate and stereotypical, but honestly the first thing I thought about reading the thread title was two drunk guys fighting with sticks.:cool:

[NETim]

https://youtu.be/zjLccwSziM8?si=1IeY_BpMeY9v69Ac